Washington : NASA has announced a series of major contracts to support its long-term lunar exploration plans, including a $10 billion cargo delivery programme, a nuclear-powered rover, space transportation services and new surface power and communications systems. The announcements were made on November 7, 2026, during the MAX POWER aerospace event at Kennedy Space Center.
The projects are part of NASA’s plan to establish a sustained human presence near the lunar South Pole. The strategy combines commercial space transportation, robotic exploration and infrastructure development to support future lunar operations.
$10 Billion Lunar Cargo Delivery Programme
NASA has selected eight companies for the next phase of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS 2) programme. The selected companies are Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, ispace-U.S., Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman Space Systems, SpaceX and Voyager Technologies.
The 10-year contract framework has a maximum potential value of $10 billion. Companies will compete for individual missions to develop and operate lunar landers carrying NASA's scientific instruments, equipment and infrastructure payloads.
NASA has also increased the ceiling of its existing CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support early Moon Base activities.
PROMISE Nuclear-Powered Lunar Rover
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is developing the PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration), a six-wheeled, SUV-sized rover designed to explore the lunar South Pole.
The rover is being assembled largely using engineering test models and spare flight hardware originally developed for NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers.
PROMISE will use a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG), which converts heat from decaying plutonium-238 into electricity. This will allow it to operate during the long lunar nights and explore permanently shadowed regions where sunlight is limited or absent.
Its equipment includes a drill capable of collecting lunar regolith from approximately one metre below the surface to investigate water ice and other potential resources. It will also carry cameras, spectrometers, temperature and radiation sensors, along with a next-generation radiation-tolerant High Performance Spaceflight Computing system.
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract, with an additional performance-based option worth $140 million, to deliver the rover using its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander. The launch is targeted for late 2028, with an expected primary mission duration of 18 months.
$1.3 Billion for Lunar Transportation
NASA has awarded six task orders worth approximately $1.3 billion under its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) programme to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin and Impulse Space.
The contracts cover launch services and orbital transfer vehicles that will transport cargo from Earth orbit towards the Moon. The missions will also support navigation demonstrations, cargo delivery and deployment of MoonFall lunar drones. These drones are designed to explore areas that conventional surface rovers cannot easily reach.
SpaceX Selected for Lunar Communications Mission
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch communications satellites aboard its Starship vehicle in 2028 under the Cislunar Communications Deployment Demonstration.
The mission will test technologies for a future lunar communications network connecting astronauts, surface infrastructure and mission control on Earth. The network is expected to support communications during future Moon Base operations.
New Power and Communications Infrastructure
NASA is also developing the Mini-Communications and Solar Tower (miniCAST) to provide power and communications support on the lunar surface.
Three companies have received contracts to supply its main components. Honeybee Robotics will provide energy storage systems, Redwire will develop solar power generation components, and Yank Technologies will supply wireless power transfer hardware.
Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will assemble and test the systems. NASA plans to issue a separate solicitation for fully integrated lunar power systems in early 2027.
These investments form part of NASA's broader Moon Base programme, which aims to establish the infrastructure needed for sustained operations at the lunar South Pole. The agency plans to use robotic missions, commercial cargo deliveries and power and communications demonstrations to prepare the surface for future human exploration.
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